Following weeks of will-he-or-won’t-he rumors, Sen. Marco Rubio has decided to campaign for another term in the U.S. Senate.
He made an announcement on social media this morning claiming that he was seeking another two years in office to provide a reliable check on whomever is elected president. It would be a major reversal for Rubio, who just several weeks ago insisted that he would be a private citizen in January.
As lofty as that goal is, Rubio’s decision may also be practical. Rumors circulated recently that the NRSC, the National Republican Senatorial Committee, had been aggressively needling Rubio to get back into the race.
The NRSC senses, reportedly, that Republican control of the Senate may be in jeopardy, and Rubio is the best-positioned Republican to hang on to Florida’s in-play seat. The most recent polling puts Rubio around seven points ahead of Democrat Patrick Murphy.
Rubio also should know that, with Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton as presidential finalists, 2020 will likely be a contested race. If he stays out of office for too long, he won’t have the same name recognition when that primary begins, and his presidential hopes will have completely faded.
Rubio seems to have made the decision earlier this week, as his Senate colleagues report that he’s been asking them for their support and help.
Rubio has even, reportedly, reached out to former presidential candidate Ted Cruz, a fellow Senator who remains popular in Rubio’s home state of Florida. Cruz declined, noting that there was already a “Tea Party” Republican in the Senate race, Rep. Ron DiSantis. Now that Rubio is definitely in the race, DiSantis says he will probably drop out to run for re-election to his House seat.